Charlotte Hornets Point Guard LaMelo Ball has gotten off to a great start this season. He is averaging 31.1 points per game(second in the league), 5.4 rebounds, and 6.9 assists per game. His assists mark has him 12th in the league in assists. Ball’s start to the season has him on a list with three of the best plyers in NBA history. He joined Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Luka Doncic as the only other players in league history to average 30/5/5 in their fifth NBA season.
Jordan would finish second in NBA voting that year, James would finish fourth in MVP voting, and Doncic would finish eighth in MVP voting. Ball’s great early season performance has not translated to success on the court this season. The Charlotte Hornets are the 12th seed in the Eastern Conference with a 6-12 record. Will Ball continue playing well and lead the Charlotte Hornets to on-court success?
LaMelo Ball Career Summary
Players to average 30/5/5 in their fifth season (since the merger):
Michael Jordan
LeBron James
Luka DoncicAnd LaMelo Ball. pic.twitter.com/v69RfO7KnE
— StatMuse (@statmuse) November 27, 2024
Ball has had an up-and-down NBA career up until this point. He was drafted third overall by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2020 NBA Draft. He was named NBA Rookie of the Year and was named an All-Star in his second NBA season. The next two seasons were upended by injuries sustained by the talented point guard. He had missed 106 career games entering the 2024-2025 season. The majority of Ball’s injuries have been to his ankles. Charlotte believed they had finally cracked the code, and hope they will be able to keep their star player healthy going forward.
His health has been good this season as he has played in all 18 of the team’s games this season. He is off to the best start of his career as he looks to remain healthy and help the Charlotte Hornets make the NBA Playoffs since the 2015-2016 season. Ball is not the only young Hornets player that is playing well this season. Forward Brandon Miller is averaging 19.9 points per game this season.
Final Thoughts
Ball, and the rest of the National Basketball Association, have Thanksgiving Day off. Charlotte’s next game is a “Black Friday” matinee at home tomorrow against the New York Knicks. That is the first half of a back-to-back that is capped off by the Atlanta Hawks coming to town Saturday night. Atlanta defeated the Charlotte Hornets 125-120 earlier this season. Ball had a solid game finishing with 34 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists.
Even though the star Hornets point guard is not presumed to finish the season like Jordan, James, or Doncic, with high MVP finishes, he has gotten off to a stellar start this year. He will look to keep it going as the Hornets are eyeing their first playoff berth in nearly a decade.
